Pirates...

Royale-les-Eaux

So over the last week I have noticed several Bond 'influencers' post images or video of themselves clearly watching pirated copies of NTTD on social media.

Apart from my immediate reaction; given these channels are purporting to be fans and, more relevant here, also monetising that fandom splashing around pirated copies makes you look like a 🔔🔚 it did make me curious what others think about pirating Bond?

I understand that people might be extra tempted this time for covid related reasons, but equally there has been a lot of discussion about Box Office of NTTD and people making arguments and drawing conclusions from that, and piracy is definitely a part of the Box Office conversation.

My own personal views are probably warped by recalling the pros and cons of the heady days of Limewire and Napster...

Revelator

I don't think there's any excuse for Bond fans to watch pirated copies of NTTD. Unless they're in a complete lockdown zone (very unlikely) they can go to the theater if they want to watch or re-watch it, or just wait a couple weeks for streaming to begin. Though it looks like the film is a commercial success, Bond fans should feel an obligation to support the franchise, not undermine it.

And on an aesthetic level watching a pirated copy of this film is a crime. NTTD is beautiful-looking movie that is best seen in the theater, not on a monitor screen as a degraded bootleg copy. Cinematographers go to great lengths to make movies look beautiful, yet some people have no qualms about watching bootlegs with hideous visual quality.

superado

I hate the practice. It speaks volumes about the character of those who do it.